SAN ANTONIO – Owner Jerry Jones nearly contorted himself into a pretzel Tuesday as he spoke about the expectations he has for this year's team without making any predictions.

It reached the point where Jones was asked if he didn't have high hopes or if he simply wanted to avoid talking about them.

That brought a laugh from Wade Phillips. "Good question," the Cowboys coach said.

The summary: the Cowboys' extended run of postseason failure has made the incessantly optimistic Jones cautious. He will talk about what the 2009 Cowboys are capable of accomplishing but will not proclaim what they will, or should, achieve.

"I think you know I've drawn back a lot of nubs, making predictions about where we're going to be," Jones said. "But our team is very capable of being a playoff winning team."

The consensus entering this season seems to be that the Cowboys rank behind the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East. Jones said Tuesday, "I think that's fair."

But he also had this to say about the team that finished 9-7 last season and failed to make the playoffs.

"Talent-wise, that was the best team I've ever been associated with that didn't win the championship," Jones said. "The best one."

Injury update: Sixteen players missed time during the Cowboys' organized team activities. The news was much better for the start of camp.

Left guard Kyle Kosier, kicker Nick Folk and wide receiver Isaiah Stanback have been cleared to participate from the start of camp. Only nose tackle Tim Anderson (toe) and rookies Robert Brewster (torn pectoral muscle) and Stephen Hodge (knee) aren't expected to be healthy enough to participate.

Two more rookies agree: The Cowboys came to terms with their first draft choice, third-round linebacker Jason Williams, and quarterback Stephen McGee, a fourth-rounder. Brewster is the only rookie not to have a deal, but he is recovering from pectoral muscle surgery.

Williams and McGee agreed to four-year deals. The Cowboys waived wide receiver Travis Wilson, a Carrollton native who was coming off knee surgery, to reach the 80-man limit.

Jones on Vick, Jones: Jerry Jones stressed again that he had no interest in signing Michael Vick. When asked if he thought a team would take a chance on the former Atlanta quarterback, Jones said, "Yes, I do think he'll play."

Did he think a team would also take a chance on cornerback Adam Jones, who played for the Cowboys last season?

"I don't know," Jones said. "I just don't know, and I wouldn't want to speculate."

Staff Writer Todd Archer contributed to this report.